Ho Iat Seng praises Portuguese community’s support in boosting local economy

Macau’s Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, praised the “exemplary” nature of Sino-Portuguese relations and the Portuguese community’s unwavering support in driving the SAR’s economic development during a reception celebrating Portugal and Camões Day Monday.

The event, hosted by Portuguese Minister of Justice Rita Júdice Alarcão and Consul General Alexandre Leitão brought together top officials from Portugal, Macau and mainland China.

In his address, Ho highlighted the strong ties between Macau and Portugal as “an exemplary model of cooperation and exchange between two countries with different social systems, historic backgrounds, and territorial dimensions.”

He also noted the two sides have collaborated in each other’s development across various fields, “including: trade, economy, scientific innovation, medicine, education and culture.”

Ho emphasized the SAR’s economic diversification, which has already shown “promising results,” and expressed gratitude for the Portuguese community’s support and cooperation with the Macau SAR Government’s initiatives.

The Portuguese Consul General, Alexandre Leitão, commended the Portuguese community for its law-abiding nature, high productivity, and significant contributions to economic development.

He noted the number of people with Portuguese nationality in Macau has increased, making the city an attractive destination for those seeking work and a better life.

“The number of people with Portuguese nationality in Macau registered with the consulate has clearly increased…Macau continues to be an attractive city, where more and more people from outside come to work and enjoy life here… to create more opportunities and invest,” Leitão said.

Encouraging mutual cultural exchange in the two communities, he added, helps maintain a deeper understanding and appreciation that will preserve the unique cultural heritage of Macau.

The visiting Portuguese Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, emphasized Lisbon’s commitment to supporting the Portuguese community in Macau and the importance it places on its relations with China and Macau. She expressed the desire to “encourage more Portuguese to move to Macau and more Macau residents to visit Portugal.”

The event marked the second ministerial-level visit by a member of Portugal’s new cabinet this year, following Economy Minister Pedro Reis’s participation in the Forum Macau Ministerial Meeting in April.

The visit underscored the strong ties between Portugal and Macau.

Celebrations started at 9:30 a.m. with a ceremonial flag raising at the Portuguese Consulate, followed by the traditional pilgrimage to the Camões Grotto, honoring Portugal’s national poet, before concluding with a reception in late afternoon.

This year, the celebration marks a significant milestone, as it is the 500th anniversary of Camões’ birth.

PSD-MACAU DEMANDS LEITÃO’S RESIGNATION

The Macau section of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) has called for the resignation of Leitão amid the controversial saga of the Portuguese School of Macau. 

The party has accused him of orchestrating an attack on the Portuguese School of Macau Foundation, involving members and supporters of the Socialist Party.

In a letter to Lusa signed by António Sousa de Bessa Almeida, spokesperson for the PSD in Macau, the party called for the resignation before the celebration of Portugal Day, where the Portuguese Minister of Justice was present.

This comes after a wave of dismissals of several teachers was announced in recent weeks from the Portuguese school, which the PSD refused to believe is considered a “normal operation.”

The allegations also include innuendos about recently hired teachers who “are friends and the girlfriend“ of the EPM director.

“In this communication we repudiate the recent statements made by the consul general of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong, Alexandre Leitão, former socialist councilor of Coimbra, to TDM regarding the falsehood that the bodies of the Portuguese School of Macau Foundation are functioning normally, also denouncing the brazen assault by socialists including Alexandre Leitão on the Portuguese School of Macau Foundation without mandate or instructions from the Government of Portugal.”

“Therefore, Alexandre Leitão must resign from the post of consul general of Portugal in Macau with immediate effect, remembering that the socialist era ended a few months ago,” it added.

Over the weekend, the consul general has defended the school on internal hiring and restructuring allegations.

Speaking to TDM over the weekend, Leitão argued that there is a mandate for the Portuguese School of Macau Foundation, “there are corporate bodies, they have the responsibility to make decisions and they are responsible for the results. When we get to the moment of analyzing the results, we will be here, in the appropriate place, to ask questions, ask about the results and make the assessment that needs to be made.” Lynzy Valles & Nadia Shaw

AD most voted in European elections in Macau constituency

The Democratic Alliance (AD) emerged as the dominant political force in Macau during the European Elections, securing 31.33% of the votes. The center-right coalition, comprising of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Popular Party (CDS–PP), and the Popular Monarchist Party (PPM), collectively received 172 votes.

Official data reveals that the Socialist Party came in second with 129 votes, accounting for 23.5% of the total.

The far-right Chega party secured the third position with 66 votes, equivalent to 12.02%.

The Liberal Initiative obtained 10.92% of the votes with 60 votes, while LIVRE (Free) and Bloco de Esquerda (Left Block) received 33 and 28 votes respectively, falling below the 10% threshold.

Out of the 549 voters, the Communist CDU obtained 24 votes (4.37%) and the PAN received five votes. Additionally, there were nine blank or invalid votes.

According to Lusa News Agency, Macau’s electoral universe shrank by over 17,000 voters, compared to previous European elections.

Data provided to the Times by the Portuguese Consulate General in Macau shows that there are a total of 53,318 registered voters in Macau for this election. This poll marks the inaugural opportunity for voters worldwide to cast their votes at the Consulate, provided they are registered.

At national level, PS won the elections in Portugal, grabbing 8 seats at the European Parliament, one more than the ruling AD. (See p8)